New centerfire autoloaders coming from Ruger

The Ruger P345 pistol features a slimmer-profile and stainless steel slide with a completely recontoured polymer grip. This new pistol has a 4.2-inch barrel, eight round magazine and fixed white-dot front and rear sights. The Ruger P345 pistol also features an unobtrusive internal lock, magazine disconnect, loaded chamber indicator, and all-new camblock design, which helps absorb recoil.

?Ruger pistols are known for their reliability, performance and value, and the Ruger P345 continues this proud tradition,? said Sturm, Ruger President, Stephen L. Sanetti. ?The P345 offers new engineering refinements and new ergonomic styling that pistol shooters of all skill levels will appreciate. When you pick one up, you instantly grasp its superb new handling qualities.?

The smooth, short trigger pull of the Ruger P345 helps improve accuracy, while the ergonomically shaped polymer frame provides a comfortable grip. The slimmer contoured frame and slide of the P345 reduce overall weight, and the well-defined grip checkering improves handling and control.

Two Ruger P345 models are being introduced: the KP345PR and the KP345. The KP345PR features a Picatinny-style rail under the forward portion of the frame to mount popular pistol accessories. Both models will be available beginning in May 2004.

I am concerned about the chrome slide. I don't wish to be painted as a target for an attacker when ambient background light bounces off the chrome slide. This is why I prefer 100% blued pistols with no reflective or contrasting parts to reflect ambient background moonlight or residual luminiscense in a scenario where someone is breaking into my home and I choose this Ruger to defend myself with.
I am hopeful that a 100% blued model is also available as is the case with my P95. While this model is aesthetically pleasing, one must also think about the intangibles.

It is a very accurate gun. The grip fits most people's hands extremely well. It's a nice looking gun too and the price is reasonable.

That said, Ruger designed this gun with a really crummy mag disconnect that they designed themselves. They found out that dry firing the gun without a magazine in place can "warp" the disconnect to the point that the gun won't work because it can't tell that a magazine is in the gun. They did not do any type of recall on it or change the design, but updated their owners manual to say that dry firing is okay only if a magazine is in place. I think that was pretty crappy of them.

Anyway, the mag disconnect is easy to remove, so thats what I did with mine. You loosen the rear sight and push it over and it falls right out. I never had any problems one way or another but I lost confidence in it before I found out how to remove the mag disconnect. I had bought it for a CCW but now it's just a range gun for me.